This goes down as one of the great Resurrections on record
Album Of The WeekFrom the Lebrecht Album of the Week:
If ever you want to know why records are going out of business, look no further than the small print at the back of the booklet. The present performance was recorded in November-December 2018 in the Dvorak Hall in Prague. Almost five years have elapsed before we got to hear it. And just as the first copies were sent out three months ago they were instantly withdrawn because of ‘a manufacturing fault’, apparently in a German pressing plant. Does time mean nothing to record managements?
No matter. All is forgiven on listening to this recording …
Read on here.
And here.
In Czech here.
In The Critic.
Oh yes, I’m sure “this” is why “records are going out of business.” What other reason could there be??
Maybe this post is why no one takes music journalism seriously.
These forces performed this symphony at Carnegie Hall a few weeks before this recording was made, the last of a series of concerts planned to celebrate the centenary of Czech independence. By a horrifying chance, the day before an anti-Semitic bigot stormed into a synagogue in Pittsburgh and slaughtered 12 people because they were Jewish, giving the performance a significance beyond what was originally intended. It was a magnificent performance and an emotional day. My reaction to any recording is inevitably going to be colored by that memory.
Thank you for that post, Sol.
The limitations of van Zweden were horribly exposed when I heard Bychkov conduct the NYPO in Mahler 6 a few years back. Truly a phenomenal conductor. Now I will have to get this.
The Bychkov – Czech Philharmonic Mahler 6 was among the highlights of the recent Mahler cycle in Leipzig. Aside from the interpretation, the orchestral sound and performance was the best among the orchestras that participated (including both major Munich orchestras, the Dresden Staatskapelle, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Concertgebouw and others). Unfortunately the Rudolfinium in Prague, their home hall, is an uncongenial acoustical environment, which means audiences don’t always get to hear how good they are. I too was at the New York Mahler 6th and agree with the assessment above.
The last thing I need is more Mahler on the shelves…but oh well. I’ll add this to the pile. Could the delay in releasing this have anything to do with the recent change of ownership of Pentatone?
I can think of better targets for our ire than small specialist classical record companies like the most excellent Pentatone, who have made so many outstanding recordings.
a thoughtful video review of this release here on classicstoday.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td4xx6rQ2Yo
Norman, old boy, one of us is missing something. I will listen yet again to see if it’s me.
This was an awful recording. Mehtas version from the Vienna Phil is still the gold standard
Good find, Norman.
S. Bychkof is very good.